She was rather a nuisance, because there was always some
mending or sewing to be done. She generally turned the servants' heads
by telling them that she was going to be married to a real _graf_ (count)
as soon as he was independent of his parents--a sort of King Cophetua
and the Beggar Maid over again, I suppose.
"Trieste was a beautiful place, especially the view round the bay. The
hills were covered with woodland and verdure; the deep blue Adriatic was
in the foreground, dotted with lateen sails; and the town filled the
valley and straggled up the slopes. The sky was softly blue on a balmy
day; the bees and birds, the hum of insects, the flowers and fresh air,
and the pretty, animated peasants, combined to form a picture which made
one feel glad to live.
"The charm of Trieste is that one can live exactly as one pleases.
Richard and I drew out a line for ourselves when we first went to
Trieste, and we always kept to it as closely as we could. We rose at
3 or 4 a.m. in summer, and at 5 a.m. in winter. He read, wrote, and
studied all day out of the consular, and took occasional trips for his
health; and I learned Italian, German, and singing, and attended to my
other duties. We took our daily exercise in the shape of an hour's
swimming in the sea, or fencing at the school, according to the weather.
What with reading, writing, looking after the poor, working for the
Church or for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,
my day was all too short.
Pages:
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182